We often see the end product with successful businesses – shiny happy business owner, sales orders through the roof, that sort of stuff. What we don’t get shown are the years of effort, hustling to get noticed, watching every penny.

The back-story to a successful business is hard work. Tons of it. Hell, if it was easy, everyone would have one.

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Again, this comes from only being shown the end result, with maybe some newsreel highlights thrown in to give some depth.

But good, solid businesses take time to establish, time to systematise, time to find and train good staff, time to make sure you’ve got all your bases covered.

As an American businessman, Dave Ramsey, once said when the media finally started talking about his business: “we had worked our tails off for fifteen years and suddenly we were an overnight success!”

3) You can do it on your own

This is a tricky one. Most people who start a business are driven, self-sufficient and go-getting. This tends to come with a little bit of control-freakery.

To get ahead and to build something worth building, you just can’t do it alone. And I’m not just talking about good employees, essential as they are.

What about an accountant who’s got your back? Lawyers who’ll fight for you when it’s needed? A bank manager who understands what’s going on? A good business team doesn’t just include the people who work directly for you.

So don’t buy into the myths. Time, hard work and good people. Get those in place, and you stand a chance. Don’t give up or get discouraged because your business isn’t working out like the lies say it should.